Rugby: Douglas face big clash against Vale of Lune

Vagabonds and Ramsey back on the road again

Report by Dave Christian:

Douglas face Vale of Lune at Port-e-Chee in Regional 2 North West this weekend. 

Douglas’ fine start as sent them into fourth place in the standings and they have a game in hand, Vale have had a similar start and they currently sit in third just a point ahead of Douglas. 

The two are no strangers to each other with twelve previous meetings - Vale have the statistical advantage eight-four in the win rate, but Douglas have won two from the last three meetings.

This season though, Douglas have been much tougher - they boast the tightest defence in the league and new stand off, Matty Wood has been something of a revelation. 

His pace and distribution are excellent and for a small-ish player, he packs a lot of power running through the narrow channels. 

Josh Campbell has settled in well at hooker and with the forwards winning plenty of ball, there are opportunities out wide with the Martin twins Kyle and Craig who pack the pace to finish.

Home advantage will count for a lot here and Douglas’ momentum should earn them a win.

Vagabonds and Ramsey both away

In Counties 3 ADM Lancs/Cheshire both Isle of Man Clubs hit the road this week - Vagabonds head to Hoylake while Ramsey travel further North to face Fleetwood for the first time. 

Both sides are looking for their first wins, however the table suggests it may not be this week.

Hoylake and Vagabonds have met multiple times previously with Hoylake enjoying the better record. 

This season however they’ve had a real mixed bag of results and are sixth in the table with three wins from five. 

In among their results, however is a 99-0 thrashing away at league leaders Bury - home advantage through should see them at their strongest and they may be just too strong for 'Vagas'. 

The Manx side do have some proper warriors in the squad though - Matt Rockwell if cut would probably bleed the club colours and prop Joe Louw was in action on a week off scoring the winner for Western Vikings in the Manx Shield. 

If these players and those like them are at their best, Dan Bonwick’s men have a shot at an away win.

Ramsey are currently propping up the table and may be thinking that Fleetwood represent a good chance for points. 

The Lancashire outfit have won two from five, however a closer inspection shows they have also picked up three losing bonus points which suggest that they may be a little better than their win rate suggests. 

The sides have never met before so there is no previous form to use as a guide.

Ramsey have some youngsters who are learning their craft and improvements are likely as the experience levels build. 

Dan Kelly has come in at scrum half and has made the shirt his own; Ffinlo Corkill has been solid in the forwards and paired up with Josh Kelly for the win against Nomads last week. 

Their athleticism will make them difficult to play against but not perhaps give an away win.

Vagabonds Ladies face Winnington Park

'Vagas' face unbeaten, second-placed Winnington Park at Ballafletcher in Womens NC2 North (South). 

Vagabonds sit fifth in the standings but do have a game in hand courtesy of Storm Amy and a win could see them as high as third.

Winnington have won all three of their opening games but when the surface is scratched, it’s clear that their first handful of matches have been against the division’s less dynamic sides and this trip to Vagabonds will be their first real test. 

Vagabonds shipped a big score at home to Sale in their first outing but responded well with a big win away at Crewe. 

This game could see them climb the table a little and move them toward the sharp end.

Freya Crowe is turning into the star of the season and her pace out wide is very difficult to defend against, she can however only do what she does with a supply of ball and the 'Vagas' back certainly generated plenty of that away at Crewe. 

Lauren Ellison, Becky Dunne and Leona McGovern have formed a formidable midfield axis too and they’ll certainly put a squeeze on Winnington Park on Saturday.

Top two clash in Hartford Homes Manx Shield

Leaders, Douglas Celts host Western Vikings in a first versus second contest at Port-e-Chee. 

It's still only early days in the competition but the Celts are two from two and look very strong, not only do they have the fringe players who don’t make the 18-man first team squad but they also have injury returnees and a group of experienced veterans to fill in the gaps.

Vikings have struggled a little personnel-wise and with Ramsey and Vagabonds both in league action there’ll be some tough calls to be made for the Viking regulars who have been getting league experience. 

On paper, this should be a win for the Celts.

**

Fixtures

Saturday, 8 November 2025

Regional 2 North West

Douglas vs Vale of Lune @ Port-e-Chee (2pm KO)

Counties 3 ADM Lancs/Cheshire

Hoylake vs Vagabonds @ Hoylake (1.30pm KO)

Fleetwood vs Ramsey @ Fleetwood (1pm KO)

Women's NC2 North (South)

Vagabonds vs Winnington Park @ Ballafletcher (2pm KO)

Hartford Homes Manx Shield

Douglas Celts vs Western Vikings @ Port-e-Chee (1.45pm KO)